In Buddhism, chanting is de traditionaw means of preparing de mind for meditation, especiawwy as part of formaw practice (in eider a way or monastic context). Some forms of Buddhism awso use chanting for rituawistic purposes.

Since Japanese Buddhism is divided in dirteen doctrinaw schoows, and since Chan Buddhism, Zen and Buddhism in Vietnam – awdough sharing a common historicaw origin and a common doctrinaw content – are divided according to geographicaw borders, dere are severaw different forms of arrangements of scriptures to chant widin Mahayana Buddhism.:

Daiwy practice in Nichiren buddhism is chanting de five character of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō (homage to de true dharma of de Lotus Sutra). A Mahayana sutra dat reveaws de true identity of Shakyamuni as a Buddha who attained enwightenment numberwess kawpas ago. Kumarajiva's transwation, which is widewy honoured, is entitwed de Lotus Sutra of de wonderfuw waw (Myoho Renge Kyo). The mystic rewationship between de waw and de wives of de peopwe courses eternawwy drough past, present, and future, unbroken in any wifetime. In terms of space, de Nichiren procwaims dat de heritage of de uwtimate waw fwows widin wives of his discipwes and way supporters who work in perfect unity for de reawization of a peacefuw worwd and happiness for aww humanity. Nichiren practitioners wiww chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo - de true aspect of aww de phenomena and recite certain chapters from de Lotus Sutra, in particuwar de 2nd and 16f chapters.

Popuwar wif Zen, Shingon or oder Mahayana practitioners is chanting de Prajñāpāramitā Hridaya Sūtra (Heart Sutra), especiawwy during morning offices. In more formaw settings, warger discourses of de Buddha (such as de Diamond Sutra in Zen tempwes and de Lotus Sutra in Tendai tempwes) may be chanted as weww.

Particuwarwy in de Chinese, Vietnamese and de Japanese traditions, repentance ceremonies, invowving paying deep reverence to de buddhas and bodhisattvas, as weww as executing rituaws to rescue and feed hungry ghosts, are awso occasionawwy practiced. There is no universawwy used form for dese two practices, but severaw different forms, de use of which fowwows doctrinaw and geographicaw borders. Widin Chan, it is common to chant Sanskritformuwae, known as dhāraṇīs, especiawwy in de morning.

Tibetan monks are noted for deir skiww at droat-singing, a speciawized form of chanting in which, by ampwifying de voice's upper partiaws, de chanter can produce muwtipwe distinct pitches simuwtaneouswy. Japanese esoteric practitioners awso practice a form of chanting cawwed shomyo.

Bhikkhus, dere are five dangers of reciting de Dhamma wif a musicaw intonation, uh-hah-hah-hah. What five?

Onesewf gets attached to de sound, oders get attached to de sound, househowders are annoyed, saying, “Just as we sing, dese sons of de Sakyan sing”, de concentration of dose who do not wike de sound is destroyed, and water generations copy it.

These, monks, are de five dangers of reciting de Dhamma wif a musicaw intonation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[10]

John Daido Loori justified de use of chanting sutras by referring to Zen master Dōgen.[11] Dōgen is known to have refuted de statement "Painted rice cakes wiww not satisfy hunger". This statement means dat sutras, which are just symbows wike painted rice cakes, cannot truwy satisfy one's spirituaw hunger. Dōgen, however, saw dat dere is no separation between metaphor and reawity. "There is no difference between paintings, rice cakes, or any ding at aww".[12] The symbow and de symbowized were inherentwy de same, and dus onwy de sutras couwd truwy satisfy one's spirituaw needs.

To understand dis non-duaw rewationship experientiawwy, one is towd to practice witurgy intimatewy.[13] In distinguishing between ceremony and witurgy, Dōgen states, "In ceremony dere are forms and dere are sounds, dere is understanding and dere is bewieving. In witurgy dere is onwy intimacy." The practitioner is instructed to wisten to and speak witurgy not just wif one sense, but wif one's "whowe body-and-mind". By wistening wif one's entire being, one ewiminates de space between de sewf and de witurgy. Thus, Dōgen's instructions are to "wisten wif de eye and see wif de ear". By focusing aww of one's being on one specific practice, duawity is transcended. Dōgen says, "Let go of de eye, and de whowe body-and-mind are noding but de eye; wet go of de ear, and de whowe universe is noding but de ear." Chanting intimatewy dus awwows one to experience a non-duaw reawity. The witurgy used is a toow to awwow de practitioner to transcend de owd conceptions of sewf and oder. In dis way, intimate witurgy practice awwows one to reawize emptiness (sunyata), which is at de heart of Zen Buddhist teachings.

There are awso a number of New Age and experimentaw schoows rewated to Buddhist dought which practise chanting, some wif understanding of de words, oders merewy based on repetition, uh-hah-hah-hah. A warge number of dese schoows tend to be syncretic and incorporate Hindu japa and oder such traditions awongside de Buddhist infwuences.

Whiwe not strictwy a variation of Buddhist chanting in itsewf, Japanese Shigin (詩吟) is a form of chanted poetry dat refwects severaw principwes of Zen Buddhism. It is sung in de seiza position, and participants are encouraged to sing from de gut - de Zen wocus of power. Shigin and rewated practices are often sung at Buddhist ceremonies and qwasi-rewigious gaderings in Japan.